When companies push employees to do extra work, the cost is often borne not only by the employee, but their families as well.
Sometimes we need a team to put in extra effort. This may be because there’s an opportunity like a big client pitch, or a deadline, or something else that just requires extra effort. As much as a company should plan ahead of time for such extra capacity demands, the reality is that’s not always possible.
Hourly workers get paid extra for working more, often at overtime rates. Salaried employees not so much. And while there are bonuses for some roles, typically, on an hourly basis, it’s not a great payout for the employee. Still, that’s part of the job.
A good manager will often thank the employees for the extra effort. Depending on the scale of the effort it might be simple saying thank you to the employee, or providing something of value, from a gift to a cash bonus or extra time off.
No matter what you do, recognize that it may not just be the employee who needs to be thanked. Spouses and children will miss out on dinners and other time with your employee. One or two late nights is something most spouses can understand (although even then, if the spouse has a lot of work and family demands, that can still be a burden). Many extra working hours means the spouse and children get less family time. It also means the spouse may have to put in extra work (e.g., doing more housework instead of splitting it as the couple planned).
Again, this may be understood as part of the job (e.g., lawyers before a big trial, software engineers before a release, salespeople before a big deal), but that doesn’t mean it should be unrecognized. When I sent thank you gift baskets to my teams after a big project, I often addressed it not only to my employees, but also to their spouses and families.
Not only is this a kind gesture but it has a big ROI. A spouse (or even kids) who don’t like the company will be “whispering” negative thoughts about it to your employee. If someone turns to her spouse and says, “I’m considering looking for a new job” do you want the spouse to say, “Yes, they take advantage of you there” or one who says, “I know it's sometimes long hours, but that’s part of your industry and they at least seem to care about their employees; the next company may not.”
As a manager we may think we operate within the four walls of the building, but our actions can have an impact outside of them. This includes customers and community, but also employees' families. Act appropriately.
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